In case you've forgotten/weren't aware of its existence in the first place, Film Fest Fridays was born out of a challenge I set myself: to watch every single film in IMDB's Top 100 List. Now, while I did pretty well, I didn't quite finish it before the deadline of Christmas, so I created FFF in a bid to not only finish what I'd started, but also review any new films I thought were noteworthy. This week, I'm doing something a bit different. I want to give back. So, I've gone through IMDB's Top 100 again, and noted down any films that I think really deserve a place up there. To make it fair, I haven't included any Disney films (they've got a whole post to themselves), otherwise we'd be here all day. Instead of putting screenshots, I've chosen to include the trailers instead, incase any of you haven't seen them. Ok. Let's start.
DRUGS AND BAD BEHAVIOUR
Don't judge me for it, but in general, these are my favourite types of movies. Gritty documentaries of life at its very bleakest. These films are like watching a car crash in slow motion - you know the outcome's gonna be bad, but you just can't help watching . None of us are angels, but these guys take it to a whole new level. Which makes for fascinating, memorable viewing.
1. Trainspotting (1996)
This film starts with probably the best monologue in cinematic history. In case any of you haven't seen in (you should be ashamed), it's basically the best anti-heroin ad you'll ever see. It's about a group of Scottish lads who steal, shoot up, have sex, shoot up, go cold turkey, shoot up, get into tricky situations, and shoot up again. Probably best known for its 'crawling baby' scene, which is as close to a bad trip as you're ever going to get from eating a bag of salted popcorn sober. Four words: choose life, choose Trainspotting.
2. The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Shot one year prior to Trainspotting, this is pretty much the American equivalent. Centering around a group of Catholic school boys, led by a young, pre-Rom+Ju Leonardo di Caprio, they get swept along into the dark underworld of drugs and crime. It's based on the true story of Jim Carroll (played by di Caprio), who wrote the book of the same name - largely a collection of diary entries which started around the time he was playing basketball for his school (hence the title). In this film, there's no big heist, no amusing run ins with drug dealers, or liaisons with schoolgirls - it's real, unfiltered, inglorious life. And it's amazing. In case you need any more reason to watch it - it features Marky Mark Wahlberg in one of his first screen performances, which he absolutely nails.
3. Thirteen (2003)
I first watched this film when I was thirteen myself, and I remember it making a massive impression on me. It was a time when girls at my school were getting into this kind of stuff - staying out late, having sex, wearing inappropriate clothes - basically trying desperately not to be 13. This film takes it to another level, but the mental attitude was still the same. We didn't want to be kids, but to all intensive purposes, and to everybody else, we were. The film centres around Tracy, a previously family-orientated 'Momma's girl', who sees the glamorous popular girls in school seemingly having such a great time, that when she gets her 'in' with one of them, she clings onto that social ledge with such tenacity that her life spirals out of control. The story is based on the actress and co-star Nikki Reed's experiences, who co-wrote the script for the film. You can really tell that these episodes really happened, because you just can't make up stuff like this. It makes for intense viewing, but is a stark warning of the dangers that can befall kids who grow up too fast.
4. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Along with One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, this is one of the best films ever made about mental illness. Set in 1969 against a backdrop of social change and shifting attitudes towards what is 'normal' in relation to the human psyche, Girl, Interrupted is a film which documents what life is like inside a woman's mental institution. Winona Ryder, who plays Susanna, a girl unsure of herself and her future, is sent here by her parents - a couple who belong staunchly to the pre-1960's school of 'Stepford wife' attitudes. She's a thoroughly relatable character, placed in an environment that tests and shapes her view on 'real life' in a new world. With a cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Vanessa Redgrave, and the late Brittany Murphy, it's an amazing insight into the ideals that would eventually result in the feminist movement.
CULT CLASSICS
These two films are, in the most honest and non-cheesy way possible, timeless. They're what so many films have emulated but been unable to touch. Everyone knows and worships James Dean and Rita Hayworth for their look that encapsulates a by-gone age, but not everyone knows the reasons why they enjoyed such status in the first place. I hope these films can explain - they deserve to be appreciated as much as their famous cast members.
5. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
If any film can capture the baffling world of a teenager, it's Rebel Without A Cause. James Dean plays Jim Stark, a young man who is misunderstood by both his parents and his classmates. He gets into trouble, says weird stuff, and is generally just a bit 'off the wall'. The film spans one day in the life of Jim - one of those days that changes a person's life forever. Set in Los Angeles, it's got everything that a film needs: fast cars, pretty girls, hot guys, an amazing script, and a memorable ending that is guaranteed to engrain itself into your psyche forever. The trailer might be cheesy as hell, but the film is anything but.
6. Gilda (1946)
In my first year at university, I did a module on Film Noir. I'd never been much of a fan of black and white movies; I thought them dull, trite and cheesy. Until Gilda. Gilda is pretty much the sexiest, most bad-ass woman to ever grace the silver screen. She's a proper femme-fatale - none of this 'Stepford Wife' bullshit; she's a proper firecracker, and knows how to work it. In summary, Gilda is a film about the lengths a woman will go to to get revenge on a lover who scorned her in the past. I mean, what girl can't relate to that - and what man doesn't fear it. I wish I had her balls, is all I can say. Girls: watch and take note. Guys: just watch Gilda. She hot.
BEST SCRIPTS
Just as I love good lyrics in a song, I love good scripts in a film. The script is what lives on between two friends who watch a film together - I mean, how many personal jokes between you and your mates are taken from great lines in films or TV series'? Pretty much all of them. Well these films, if you haven't seen them, are guaranteed to provide many more...
7. Withnail & I (1987)
A small geeky admission: I pretty much know this whole film by heart. That's how many times I've watched it. I cannot think of a film with more one liners that you can use with your friends, or simply on your own with strangers for your own amusement. For those that haven't seen it, this film basically follows a pair of weird aspiring actors who escape the confines of London's Camden Town for a weekend in the country. The result is hilarious. Richard E Grant plays Withnail, a privileged 'lost boy' with an appetite for drugs and anti-freeze; whose sidekick is the reluctant 'I' (whose real name you never find out). It's a film about the loveable eccentricities of the upper classes - think Boris Johnson with less sleep and more hallucinogens.
8. Annie Hall (1977)
In my opnion, Annie Hall is Woody Allen's best film. Forget Manhattan, or Vicky Christina Barcelona, this one is his finest. It follows the dysfunctional love life of the neurotic Alvy (Allen), largely focusing on his relationship with the beautiful and sweet Annie Hall. Alvy has a severe case of 'foot-in-mouth' disease, which has hilariously disastrous consequences in every social situation he encounters. I think it's his best film because it's the one which doesn't try too hard. It doesn't try to be something it's not, or overcomplicate the plot to get your attention. It's funny, but it's charmingly relatable: we've all got a little Alvy in us, and we've all had a relationship similar to his and Annie Hall's. If for no other reason, watch it for the line: "Don't knock masturbation - it's sex with a person you love." Genius.
9. Before Sunrise (1995)
Anyone who's travelled, or wants to travel, needs to see this film. It plays out the situation that every traveller-at-heart dreams of happening: you meet your dream girl/guy on a train, take a leap of faith, and spend a day with them. But only a day; the next morning, you go your separate ways, never knowing what might have happened if you'd stayed. Jesse, played by Ethan Hawke, gets talking to a girl on the train to Vienna. He's got one night there, before he catches a plane back to the US. He invites her to explore the city with him. This movie might not have a script full of sharp one-liners, but it is an example of pure poetry in motion - a film that explores the philosophies of young dreamers, full of hopes, fears, and naive ideologies that encapsulates what it's like to be on the foothills of adulthood. Apart from being a brilliant advertisement for not only Vienna but the virtues of travel, it's one of those films that has an open-ending. In other words, it's life. Full of the unknown, the 'to-be-continued', the 'what-ifs'. Just make sure you have enough money in the bank to book an inter-railing ticket afterwards.
10. Blue Valentine (2010)
I thought I'd end 'Part One' on both a high and a low. Blue Valentine is one of the most incredible films I've ever seen. It's about as close as you'll get to a 'real' relationship without actually going through it yourself. Through flashbacks, it documents a pair's relationship from its infancy - the highs of the honeymoon period, the obstacles that they face and continue to face, and the strain of unrealised dreams and shattered expectations that plagues nearly every serious relationship. Starring Ryan Gosling (hel-looo) and Michelle Williams, and with a stellar soundtrack from the incredible Grizzly Bear, it's one of those films that, when it finishes, you'll want to rewind it right back to the beginning and watch it again. It's painfully addictive viewing, and one of those films that stays with you long after it's finished. I highly recommend.
Well, that's it for Part One - depending on people's reactions, and whether next Friday I'll still be at home drinking wine in the bath - watch this space for the next installment...
Love,
Belle x
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